Japanese symbol for “infection”
感染
かんせん
Romaji: kansen
infection; contagion; becoming infected
In Japanese, infection is 感染, read かんせん (kansen).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n, vi, vs infection; contagion; becoming infected (med)
- n, vi, vs being infected (e.g. with harmful ideas); being influenced (by)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “infection”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 伝染 | でんせん densen | contagion; infection |
| 化膿 | かのう kanou | suppuration; festering; purulence |
| 感染症 | かんせんしょう kansenshou | infectious disease; infection |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 感じ | かんじ kanji | feeling; sense; impression |
| 感謝 | かんしゃ kansha | thanks; gratitude; appreciation |
| 感覚 | かんかく kankaku | sense; sensation; feeling |
| 感じる | かんじる kanjiru | to feel; to sense; to experience |
| 感情 | かんじょう kanjou | emotion; feeling; feelings |
| 汚染 | おせん osen | pollution; contamination |
| 染色 | せんしょく senshoku | dyeing |
| 染める | そめる someru | to dye; to colour; to color |
See also: Chinese symbol for “infection”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.